Dennis Update Part 3

By Richard, Published: October 13, 2011
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This morning we received another update from Dennis:

Today was a lot of driving over appalling roads that kept our speed to around 40km.

As a result of time on the road we only visited one village – Riva. UNICEF has installed a large water system which includes; a generator to drive a pump, 100 litre tank for a trough to provide camels water and another for humans. This a major water system and required drilling to 170m. But what makes this of more interest than the usual water project is how it is helping the nomadic Somalis.

They bring their camel herds 200km to this water source. Camels can last 30 days without water. So these nomads travel 200km to get water (they pay 7 Kenyan shillings which is equivalent to about NZ$.010) and then retrun 200km for the feed – grass. Many of the families we spoke to have lost half their herds because of the drought. Camels provide milk and they breed and the owners sell a camel for about 12,000 shillings (which is equivalent to about NZ$150). So this water supply is both the usual safe water for the permanent residents of Riva, but also livilhood support for nomadic Somalis.

Education is a problem for these nomads and often the father moves the herd around and mum and kids stay in Riva for school. Some families leave kids with relations or a family while mum and dad care for the their camels.

UNICEF is supplying therapeutic food to treat malnourished children and their families, as this drought-ridden region is part of the large swathes of land affected by the children’s famine.

Do you have any questions for Dennis? If so post a comment and we’ll do our best to get them to him.

Categories: Emergencies, Horn of Africa, Kiwis in the field | Leave a comment

Update from Dennis Part 2

By Richard, Published: October 12, 2011
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Overnight Dennis has sent through another update from Dadaab:

As we flew into Dadaab all I could see was brown barren land. Our first visit was to Dagahley transit camp. UNICEF buses refugees from the Somali border town of Liboi to the camp, where they can access food and tents. For many this is the first good meal they have had in days.

From the transit camp people move to a permanent camp where they are screened for health problems. Dadaab camp is actually made up of four camps . At Dagahley camp we visited a child friendly space for early education and play. Like children everywhere, these kids were happy and full of enthusiasm and energy. Just remarkable given their circumstances.

Next we visited a hospital where children are treated for acute malnutrition and diahorrea. UNICEF therapeutic milk and foods are used to help the children build their strength up so that they can eat normally again. It was heartbreaking to see two year old children who weigh the same as a four month old baby, but the positive is that once they are identified as malnourished these children can be brought back from a certain death.

It has been a real learning experience so far. The picture is that things will get worse but balanced against this bad news is the tremendous progress and the numbers of children whose lives have been saved because of UNICEF and our supporters in New Zealand. Thankyou

If you would like to contribute to the work UNICEF is doing in Dadaab, please donate here.

Categories: Emergencies, Horn of Africa, Kiwis in the field | Leave a comment

Update from Dennis

By Richard, Published: October 11, 2011
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This update from Dennis came to our team via SMS today:

Arrived Nairobi last night and the 2 hour drive to the hotel was through some of the most chaotic traffic I have ever experienced. Along the dirt roadside people walked seemingly aimlessly and the more entrepreneurial had small stalls selling drinks, fruit and flowers

Nairobi by day is a city of 4 million people and the infrastructure can’t cope. Tomorrow we fly to Dadaab, Kenya’s 2nd largest city – a city that was never meant to be, but grew in response to the region’s worst famine in 60 years.

I have come to see how Kiwi money is making a difference and how UNICEF copes with a disaster of this magnitude. More tomorrow.

We’ll have more from Dennis in the coming days, in the mean time check out this clip of Mia Farrow in the field.

Categories: Emergencies, Horn of Africa, Kiwis in the field | Leave a comment

Water Crisis in Tuvalu

By UNICEF NZ, Published: October 10, 2011
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Vika Waradi, UNICEF Pacific, blogging from Tuvalu

Greetings from Funafuti, Tuvalu. The weather here is as expected for this part of the Pacific – HOT like sizzling oven hot! It rained for about 5 minutes yesterday (Sunday)…just enough to cool things down a bit… but nowhere NEAR what is needed to fill up families’ water tanks.

A boy watches as his 2 buckets for one day for his entire familyare filled

A boy watches as his 2 buckets for one day for his entire family are filled

I went to check out some of the stations that have been set up for water collection (from 6.00am to 8.00am everyday)where families turn up with their buckets to get their share of rationed water supply (two buckets per household per day which is about 40 litres per day). I spoke with Tataua Pese, Secretary General for Tuvalu Red Cross, and he said that since they started with the water rations, more and more families are turning up everyday as their own tanks have pretty much dried out. Two desalination units were also sent over to Nukulaelae, one of the hardest hit outer islands, to help with the water situation there which is now said to be stable.

However, other outer islands are facing severe water shortages which the government, National Disaster Management Office (NDMO) and Red Cross are looking to assess and provide urgent assistance as needed. The Royal New Zealand Air Force team landed again yesterday (Saturday) with more emergency supplies. The international community is working very closely with the Government of Tuvalu to mobilize more desalination units and other urgent supplies.

The main island atoll of Tuvalu

The main island atoll of Funafuti, Tuvalu

UNICEF is one of the agencies contributing to the assistance to Tuvalu and will be sending over a solar powered desalination unit for Nauti Primary School where some 800 students attend. So, before you turn on a tap, think of the people of Tuvalu. Imagine, just 40 litres of water per household (one household averaging around 6-10 people). Some families would be lucky to even have anything left in their own private tanks. Otherwise, 40 litres of water per day for cooking, drinking, for toilets, bathing, washing, cleaning…things most of us take for granted and don’t even think twice about when we’re turning on a tap…

Reporting from Funafuti – Vika Waradi, UNICEF Pacific.

Categories: Emergencies, Pacific Islands, Water and Sanitation | Tags: , | 3 Comments

World Humanitarian Day 2011

By UNICEF NZ, Published: August 19, 2011
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This Friday 19 August is World Humanitarian Day, a celebration of people helping people. It commemorates the loss of 22 lives in a bombing of the UN headquarters in Baghdad on 19 August 2003.

But it is also about inspiring the spirit of aid work in everyone.

‘Humanitarians… draw the world closer together by reminding us that we are one family, sharing the same dreams for a peaceful planet, where all people can live in safety, and with dignity. On World Humanitarian Day, we honour these aid workers and thank them … this is also a day to examine our own lives and consider what more we can do to help” (UN Secretary-General Ban-Ki Moon).

HUMANITARIANS IN ACTION IN 2011
Extreme levels of malnutrition in the Horn of Africa and social unrest in Northern Africa and the Middle East has made it a busy year for humanitarians including those on the ground for UNICEF, as these humanitarian crises have affected millions of women and children.

Famine in the Horn of Africa
By now, most New Zealanders have heard of the Horn of Africa, and the famine which is plaguing its inhabitants. An estimated 2.3 million children in are acutely malnourished, with over half a million at risk of imminent death.

UNICEF humanitarians leapt into action, rallying governments and citizens to help provide emergency relief to the people affected by this crisis which allowed UNICEF to scale up capacities and programmes in order to save lives and meet the most urgent needs of vulnerable women and children.

Social unrest in Northern Africa and the Middle East
Early 2011 was marked by the “Arab Spring/Awakening”, with citizens throughout the Middle East and North Africa rising up in defiance of their governments.

This has resulted in historic changes throughout the region, but the humanitarian situation in Libya, Syria and Yemen is deteriorating. So far this year UNICEF humanitarians have provided educational opportunities for 80,000 children and psychosocial support for 94,712 children in conflict-affected areas.

WE INVITE YOU TO CELEBRATE WORLD HUMANITARIAN DAY WITH US BY:

Categories: Emergencies, UNICEF IN ACTION | Leave a comment